David Silva, Onetime Cudahy Mayor, Admits to Taking Cash From Marijuana Dispensary
The former mayor of Cudahy, David Silva, along with a former acting city manager, Angel Perales, agreed today to plead guilty to federal extortion and bribery charges after they took money to smooth the way for a would-be marijuana dispensary operator who wanted to open up a store in town.
David Silva, right.
The two admitted to taking $5,000 from the marijuana businessman, according to a statement today from the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. Silva also said he took bribes from several others, including a developer with property interests in Cudahy.
The office states:
Silva agreed to accept a $50,000 payment from a developer who wanted to purchase land that the city owned in a deal to discount the price of the property by $800,000.
Perales also admitted to even more than just the pot-shop bribe. He was a "bag man" for the city bribery scheme and engaged in vote fraud during the 2007 and 2009 city elections, when " ... ballots for non-incumbent candidates were discarded."
Punishment?
They could see 30 years and half a million in fines each. But that probably won't happen, seeing how they agreed to a deal, the details of which weren't disclosed.
The duo will have to pay back the bribe money, the U.S. Attorney's Office says.
Meanwhile, as part of the same scandal, Cudahy Councilman Osvaldo Conde is still facing a bribery charge and apparently had yet to bend to prosecutors' pressure to make a deal.
Feds say he accepted $7,000 from the marijuana business.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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